Wednesday, 27 July 2011

Frontline MG LE50

Next year will be the 50th anniversary of the MGB, and what better way to celebrate than by spending £50k on one?

...stick with me, it makes more sense than it sounds. Developed by renowned MG tuners Frontline, the LE50 is a rather special, limited-run anniversary model. They start with a Heritage shell (i.e. a brand new one, so no rust concerns) and give it the strengthening of its life, with reinforcement to the sills, floors and at various other points throughout the body.Power is taken care of by an all-new, 2012-spec Mazda MX-5 2.0-litre unit, which has been tickled with billet conrods and crankshaft, Teflon-coated pistons and a more muscular throttle-body, to tease out 215bhp. In a car that weighs 900kg, that gives you 240bhp/ton, which is a frightening prospect in a 'B......but, of course, they've thought of that. So you get a modern evolution of the tried-and-tested Costello suspension geometry, a five-linked rear axle, a six-speed 'box and colossal brakes - which means it'll hit 60mph in five seconds and go on to 160mph, while also handling and stopping like a modern sports car.Yes, this performance would be achievable in a proper old MGB, but you'd almost certainly have to live with a stripped out interior and a spiky-cammed engine that's reluctant to idle, and brakes that test the fabric of your gusset at every corner. In the LE50, you get a full leather & alcantara-trimmed interior, Wilton carpets, air-con, heated seats and a Harman Kardon stereo.

If you've got £50k to spend on a car, you'd be a moron to buy anything else, frankly. Click here for more info.